Carr, a Collier County court judge since 2006, has decided against running for the office of state attorney.

Florida law prohibits judges from running for re-election past age 70.

Carr, 71, had been considering another run for the job of chief prosecutor. He ran unsuccessfully for the post in 2002.

He said preliminary fundraising inquiries weren't successful enough for him to warrant a run against Amira Fox, the current chief deputy under retiring State Attorney Steve Russell, and Chris Crowley, a former prosecutor and Army reservist also in the race.

“I wanted to see at least $100,000 out there that I could count on,” Carr said. Without that amount, he said he’d have to tap into his retirement savings to run, something he is not willing to do.

“We have some of the same people who are recycled through the courts over and over. They are often homeless, mentally ill and cause some public disturbance that brings a call to law enforcement,” Carr said. “Because they are mentally ill, they do not obey lawful commands and are then charged with obstructing an officer.

“Often they are held for long periods because their ability to enter a plea or to assist in their own defense is limited. After release the same process is repeated. They are not treated for mental illness but warehoused at the jail.

“It’s absolutely inhumane to warehouse them in jail. It’s not right, it’s not moral, and I’m not sure it’s legal. I see it every day, and it bothers me.”

Carr said the Legislature could give county court judges the authority to refer defendants for treatment.

“It’s a legislative fix, and it’s not a hard one,” Carr said.

As Florida lawmakers enter the final week of the 2018 session, measures to address mental health and gun violence are being discussed, but the change Carr advocates is not at the forefront.

Carr says he doesn’t want to stigmatize the mentally ill.

“Most people who are mentally ill are not violent, but some of them are. It’s a small number of people,” he said.

Humanitarian grounds aside, Carr says it costs more to send the same people to jail again and again without treatment.

“Even if people have a hard heart, it costs a lot of money to warehouse somebody in jail,” he said.

A proposed change to the Florida Constitution could raise the mandatory retirement age for judges. But even if approved, it wouldn’t take effect in time to allow Carr to run for another term.

“I turned 71 on Feb. 25. Happy birthday to me,” he said.

Carr said private practice, plus a cause to champion, will give him something to do once his time on the bench is up.